Kuyil

These are pictures of a park I photographed two days or so ago in Iowa City. Just the fact that there are so many trees reminds me of some tranquil yard in a countryside in Kerala, India. My grandparents homes had lots of trees. Here is something I wrote about childhood memories of visiting my grandparents homes. I always noticed my cousins were so much closer to nature than me.

In Udayamperoor on lazy afternoons if we sit and listen we can hear a bird call. The name of the bird is kuyil. We can call back to the bird in a similar way. When we mimic the bird call, the bird responds and makes another call. We can again respond. And the bird will respond too. The frequency and speed of the calls gradually increases. Then suddenly the bird flies away. My cousin rubeena taught me this-- to listen carefully to the kuyil and respond to the kuyil. My cousins who grew up in Udayamperoor and Thyccattussery knew more about the mysteries of nature than me. During my visits they would share this knowledge they had with me. They knew the names of trees, they knew how to make aquariums with glass jars, they knew how to find saplings of cashews, they knew how to make home made henna, they knew how to make home made shampoo with the leaves of hibiscus, they knew how to cure irritation in the eyes with the juice of the parijata flowers, they knew how to feed chickens with rice, they knew to find the eggs laid by the hens somewhere in the backyard, the knew about butterflies and dragon flies. They knew that goats only eat the leaves of jackfruit trees. I was always amazed after interacting with my cousins. Milk from rubber trees collected in coconut shells, different types of shell fish washed ashore on the brims of paddy fields, to listen to the sound of the sea in a seashell shaped like a conch. It was so idyllic.